Book-holder.



A B. & G. L. JOHNSON.

BOOK HOLDER. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 8, 1910.

Patented Feb. 6,1912.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

ALEX B. JOHNSON AND CHARLES L. JOHNSON, OF BAKER, OREGON.

BOOK-HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 6, 1912.

Application filed December 8, 1910. Serial No. 596,389.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, ALEX B. JOHNSON and CHARLES L. JOHNSON, citizens of the United States, residing at Baker city, in the county of Baker and State of Oregon, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Book-Holders, of which the following is a specification.

Our invent-ion relates to devices for carrying books, parcels or like articles, and the invention consists in a novel, simple and effective device for this purpose composed of extensible sides provided with handles, the sides being so connected to each other that the space between the sides, occupied by the book or article being carried may be shortened or lengthened as desired, the article or book being clamped between the sides, the side pieces being extensible in order to provide for the carriage of books or other articles of larger or varying sizes.

Our invention is shown in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of our holder applied to a book. Fig. 2 is a like view, the book, however, being removed and the sides of the holder being laterally spaced from each other their full distance. Fig. 3 is an end view of the holder. Fig. 4: is a fragmentary perspective view of one end of the chain 16 showing its connection to one of the side frames.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawings by the same reference characters.

Referring to these figures, it will be seen that the book holder consists of two sides or side frames, each of these side frames being alike. Each side frame is composed of two sections 2 and 3, the sections being so connected to each other as to permit them to be longitudinally moved with relation to each other to increase or decrease the length of the side pieces. Preferably, the section 2 consists of a U-shaped metallic member which may be conveniently formed of wire and a rectangular member designated 3, also conveniently made of wire. The U-shaped member 2 is formedat its extremities with the outwardly bent portions 4:. The legs of one U-shaped member are connected by the cross bar 5 bent at its middle as at 6 while the legs of the other U-shaped member are connected by a cross bar 5, so bent at its middle as to form a curved hook 6. The

member 3 is rectangular and formed with a cross bar 7 at one end, the other end of one of the members 3 being formed with a cross bar 8 having a bend 9 at its middle, the other member 3 having a cross bar 8 formed with a hook-shaped bend 9 at its middle corresponding to the hook-shaped bend 6 of the member 2.

The cross bar 7 of the member 3 is formed adjacent to the side bars with the eyes 10, these eyes being preferably formed by bending the wire from which the section is made, as illustrated in Fig. 2. These eyes 10 are adapted to receive the legs of the U-shaped member 2.

The side bars of the rectangular member 3 are provided along their length with a plurality of eyes 11, these eyes being preferably bent up from the wire from which the frame is made, or being otherwise formed and lying in planes approximately parallel to the planes of the side bars. The bent terminal ends 4 of the legs or member 2 are adapted to be inserted in these eyes 11 so as to hold the member 2 in proper adjusted relation to the member 3. The legs of the member 2 are of course resiliently yielding and hence by forcing these legs together, thus disengaging the terminal ends at from the eyes 11 and then shifting the member 2 relative to the member 3, the length of the side piece may be increased or decreased.

Attached to the outer extremity of each frame 2 and preferably by the cross bar 5, is the handle member 12. This is formed of a U-shaped piece of metal having a cross bar 13 and' bent at its ends to form the legs 14, these legs being hooked as at 15 at their extremities to engage with the cross bar 5 at the junction of the cross bar with the legs of the section 2. It will be seen that the handle 12 is freely swinging with relation to the side frame and that the legs 14 diverge from each other so as to enlarge the handles sufficiently to permit them to be readily grasped.

Both side frames are alike in construction in every detail and hence we have used the same reference numerals for both side frames. The cross bars 8 of the side frames are connected to each other by means of a chain 16 composed of open links. These links are preferably rectangular in form and designated by the numeral 17 The links are connected to each other by metallic clips 18 composed of a strip of metal rolled into an approximately cylindrical form, the edges of the strip overlapping as shown in Fig. 4:, thus reinforcing the strip and preventing it opening readily. The strip of metal forming the clip may of course be soldered. This construction provides for an extremely flexible chain 16.

The chain 16 is permanently attached in any suitable manner, as by a clip 19, to the bent portion 9 of one side frame, while the other end of the chain 16 is provided with a link 20 which is U-shaped instead of being rectangular and is adapted to bridge over the bent portion 9 on the second named side frame, the extremities of the legs of the link 20 being formed with eyes 21 perma-nently engaging the cross bar 8.

The bent portion 9, as previously described, provides a hook which is adapted to engage in any one of the open links 17 of the chain when the parts are in operative posi tion. The bent portion 6 of one side frame is attached in any suitable manner, as by a clip 22 to a chain 23 which is composed of rectangular links, precisely similar to the chain 16 previously described. This chain 1 23 is however free at its other end in which it differs from the chain 16 which is permanently attached to the side frames at both ends and its links are adapted to be engaged by the ho0k-shaped bend don the opposite side frame.

I equal the width of the book.

The operation of our invention is obvious.

The book or other article to be held is placed between the side frames and the side frames are adjusted so as to approximately The chain 16 is then taken up until it is approximately equal to the thickness of the book and the hook 9 is then inserted in the proper link of the chain 16 and the side pieces brought toward each other clasping the sides of the book. The hook 9 under these circumstances will take the position shown in Fig. 3 and will not only tend to exert a strain upon the v chain 16, but will also prevent the chain from passing off the hook. The chain 23 is then drawn up until the side pieces are the side pieces.

tightened upon the book and the hook 6 is then engaged with the proper link in the chain, thus clasping the book firmly between The handles will of course project beyond the chain and permit the de vice to be readily manipulated.

While we have shown what we regard as a very effective form'of our invention and one that may be very cheaply manufactured, we

do not wish to be limited to this as it is ob- I vious that it may be constructed in many diflerent ways without departing from the spirit of the invention.

l/Vhat we claim is:

1. A device of the character described, including oppositely disposed side members, each comprising a rectangular frame and a U-shaped frame operatively engaging with the rectangular frame and adapted to be longitudinally shifted therealong to contact or expand the frame, handles hingedly attached to the U-shaped frame, means for holding each U-shaped frame in its adjusted. relation to the corresponding rectangular frame, a chain composed of rectangular links connecting one end of each of the rectangular frames to the like end of the other rectangular frame, a hook formed upon one of the rectangular frames adapted to engage any one of the links of said chain, a chain attached to the opposite end of one of the rectangular frames, and a hook formed upon the like end of the other rectangular frame and adapted to engage any one of the links of said chain.

2. A device ofthe character described, including opposed side members, each composed of two sections, one of said sections being rectangular in form and having oppositely disposed eyes formed at one end extending transversely to the sides of the section, the side bars of said frame being also formed with a plurality of spaced eyes extending parallel to the 'side bars, the other section comprising a U-shaped frame, the extremities of which are angularly bent to engage the eyes on the side bars of the rectangular frame, the legs of said U-shaped frame passing through the first named eyes on the rectangular frame, a chain composed of rectangular links and connecting the like ends of both of said frames to each other, a hook formed at the end of one of the frames adjacent to said chain, said hook being adapted to engage with any one of the links of the chain, a chain attached to one of the Ushaped frames, a hook formed upon the end of the other U-shaped frame and adapted to engage any one of the links of the last named chain, and oppositely disposed handles hingedly connected to the U- shaped frames.

In testimony whereof, we aflix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

ALEX B. JOHNSON. CHARLES L. JOHNSON. Witnesses:

V. E. TRIBOLET, O. R. HORNADAY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

